


To Walk With Spirits

by DreaDreams7



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto), BAMF Haruno Sakura, Child Soldiers, Childhood Trauma, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi, Namikaze Minato Lives, No Uchiha Massacre, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:53:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22997251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreaDreams7/pseuds/DreaDreams7
Summary: "Bird was correct. You aren't of this world are you?" He smiled down at her. "I can't explain it, but you seem to be the same as my Naruto."Kiyoko Amano, nothing great is expected of her. She fights the other children when they pick on her and her big brother. Curses at the old ladies and men when they sneer and shoo her from their shops. She pulls pranks with her big brother. The number two knuckle head of the hidden leaf, and future gaurd of the greatest Hokage to ever have been born!  The only thing that matters to her is her ever growing collection of dead things and her darling older brother Naruto and adoptive father Minato.But when a past she never knew comes for her, will she be able to save her loved ones? Or will she burn at the stakes like her fore mothers?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Horned Child.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thanks for reading. Quick note AU in which Spirits and Demons can cross over from their world. I find it hard to believe that talking frogs and snakes exist but no demons? Oh well, another note the Uchiha massacre doesnt happen but the tension in the village is high from it. With Minato in charge, the massacre is held off and Danzo is pissed. I also wanted Naruto to have a happy family even if it's small. As for pairings I dont know as of yet. Let's just have fun for now though!
> 
> Please enjoy!

_  
**6 months after nine tails attack** _

"Stop the witch!"

"She went this way!"

"Kill her before she gets too far!"

The sounds of an angry mob drifted high above the flames of the compound. The fire from the homes twisted up towards the night sky as in begging Kami for salvation. Women lay dead in the street, their bodies covered in blood, children lay next to them fear on frozen faces. The village had turned on this once peaceful and green compound of healers. Women who had caught babies from their mothers. Women who pulled the dying away from death's grip. The the same women who devoted their lives to serving this village, lay with their children dying.

All except for one who ran as fast as her blood-covered legs could take her. Screams of horror faded into nothing. The only thing that could be heard was her heavy breathing and the soft whines of the bundle of blankets in her grip. She stumbled and tripped, throwing the baby from her arms. The child's crying got louder upon landing with a soft thud.

"Oh my love, my love I am so sorry." The hurt woman could barely move. She sat up coughing up blood as she crawled towards the baby. Slow as ever, rising to her feet, with the child in arms, she continued on. Her senses told her to go a bit more, a bit farther. Every tree she touched became a stable hand guiding her. The thickest part of the forest opened up to her to show a trail. At the end of the trail were two tall and green gates, looming above her clasped form.

On her knees she cried, knowing she wasn't long for this world. Her baby wailed loudly, seeking help in her mother's dying arms. A rustle in the air, the soft landing of feet to the ground. Two porcelain masks observed the dying woman and crying child.

"Go and alert the Fourth." One had ordered, the other had left as silently as they came.

The Fourth Hokage, had been buried deep in paperwork. That was all he could do these last six months since the death of his wife. Work, assign missions, meetings, and work some more. He was lucky if he could squeeze in some time to care for his son, but even that had caused emotional strife for him as well. His sunshine and light of his world, was safe. Tucked away at home with an ANBU minder watching over him, as was the case most often when he worked so late. Minato was supposed to be home hours ago, but something in the back of his mind told him to stay in the office. The air around him during that day seemed charged with electricity. A windless cold that kept chills down his spine. 

"Yes, Boar." Minato looked up from his papers. The Boar mask seemed to glow in the dim light of the office.

"Hokage-Sama, during our perimeter patrol, Bird and I came across a woman and child at the south gate. The woman is still alive upon inspection. She's in critical condition, the child looks to be no older than a month old, it is in stable condition." Boar had reported.

"Bring them both to the hospital, I will be there shortly. Dismissed. " Minato had gotten up from his chair. The same chill traveled his spine again. 

The hospital was a welcoming sight for the woman. While she knew that the people who worked on her did so in vain, she took comfort in knowing her child would be looked after. Her entire body hurt. The stress from giving birth too soon, had wiped out what little chakra she had. The sealing jutsu she had performed on the baby, took what remained. She had lost so much blood, and swallowed so much smoke. So, her prolonged death came slowly in the soft sterile room.

The door to the room opened to show a great ball of light and blue eyes. For a second the woman thought that it was some type of minor deity that came to her. His blue eyes seemed saddened. Behind him stood the same glowing mask Boar and Bird. 

"I am Minato Namikaze the fourth Hokage of this village and you are-" The deity spoke to her. The timbre of his voice was calm.

"I see no point in my name," her voice barely that of a whisper, "take my daughter, the love and union of me and my husband." She closed her eyes and laid there, taking a deep shaky breath.

"I am not long for this world Hokage Sama. My daughter is young, she will not know of me, she will hate me and her father for her existence. Have this village show her love or give her death. Her name is Amano Kiyoko from the village of Yūrei." She opened her eyes to look at Minato, a small smile upon her lips. 

Minato stared at her for a moment. Feeling as if she could see into his soul. Every death he had caused during his lifetime of war and every bit of joy and loss he had. Her eyes became vacant as she took her last breath.

The air in the hospital room seemed to become colder, the clock on the nightstand stayed still at four am longer than normal. Time stood as if it were in mourning.

"Be sure to place the girl in an orphanage," Minato stated. Sad that another orphan existed. 

Bird had been the first to speak "are you sure Hokage Sama. The child looks to not be of this world." Bird sounded concerned. 

"What do you mean?" Blue eyes held a curiosity to them as he glanced over at Bird.

"You would need to determine that sir." Bird had stood the side, "the nurses and doctors are wary of the child, its chakra is strong even for that of a newborn. "

A frustrated sigh came from Minato; nothing was ever easy, was it? If it were that way then there would be no need for shinobi or leaders. Upon arrival to the last room of the children's unit, he could sense great energy. Though it was dark and suffocating, he marched forward. He could tell that something was off about the air, the door to the room was opened just a bit. From the nurse’s station, at this angle the crib could be seen, enough for the on-duty nurse to keep an eye on the child. He took note of how the staff briskly walked by the door to the break room.

The door opened and the doctor stood there, "Hokage Sama." He bowed and stood back up. "Was there something you needed?"

Minato smiled with reassurance, "I wanted to see the baby that was admitted with the woman."

"Oh of course!" The doctor stood to the side to allow entrance. 

To say that Minato was shocked would be an understatement. Laying swaddled in fresh linen was a baby. Skin dark as mahogany, an appearance that differed from the pale skinned woman that she arrived with. Her hair was a deep red and curly. Blue eyes met gold eyes, a happy gurgle came from her. She reached her hands up towards him, shifting in her linen. The eye contact was brief before Minato's gaze settled on the girl's forehead. There sat two dark brown nub like horns.

"Bird was correct. You aren't of this world are you?" He smiled down at her. "I can't explain it, but you seem to be the same as my Naruto." He leaned down and picked her up. She wiggled in his grasp, gurgling some more. Her coos and smile were as sweet as could be. The orphanage suddenly became less of an option.

"I suppose you've lucked out, you will be staying in my care." He nodded his head once, solidifying his resolve to keep her. "Your mother told me your name is Amano Kiyoko, it is a pleasure to meet you." He brushed her hair away from her small horns to get a better look at them. 

She cooed to him as most babies do.

"Well then, when you are released from the hospital, your brother will be happy to have you home with him." Minato smiled knowing his son wouldn't be alone. Someone would be able to understand him in a way that few could.

** __ **

** _Omake: The Underside._ **

Else where beyond the realm of man sat a large and hulking beast. It’s dark brown, red tinted skin bulged in its armour. Gold eyes watching the horizon searching for anybody to come through. The beast had six great big horns protruding from his head of deep blood red hair. Each horn a different paper seal with a language written upon it long forgotten.

"Kiyoko is safe Bishamon-Sama." A smaller beast had informed. "Eri-Sama is soon to be here, you will be united with your love once more." He turned his pure white eyes up to Bishamon. 

Their demon lord had been quiet the last few days. News of the burning of Yūrei, the village of maidens, had hit him hard. He always knew that the women there were too nice to the villages and people who sought their help. Few people could understand why the women worshipped and loved the demons that roamed the lands.

"Keep watch over her Baku" Bishamon spoke slowly. His golden gaze drifted over to Baku, a silent warning between the two of them. 

"I will keep her safe sir. And I will not be seen nor fail you." And with that he disappeared in red mist.


	2. Kiyoko Amano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter: Kiyoko the Sunflower.
> 
> If Naruto is pure sunshine, then his shadow and best friend is his sunflower. Loving, loyal and true to each other. They are simultaneously the same and different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I just wanted to take this chapter to introduce Kiyoko formally. The next chapter will be a time skip to them being 12.

_Sunshine and Sunflower_

* * *

"Horn girl, horn girl, little demon horn girl!" Two older kids had pushed a small Kiyoko down. Their laughter rang out over the small girls crying.

"S-stop p-picking on- hic- on me!" She managed through her tears. Her little fist rubbed at her eyes to get the dirt and tears away. It made matters worse. 

"Or what? " the bigger one teased "you're gonna cry some more" he and his friend laughed.

"No! Her big brother is gonna kick your ass!" A rock had plunked the boy assailant right in the forehead. The boy stumbled back a bit in surprise, to be tackled to the ground by a blonde blur. "You leave my sister alone!" He yelled, hitting the boy in the face. A fiery rage burned bright in his blue eyes.

The small girl jumped to her feet, emboldened by her brother, "Get him Naru-Nii!"

"Hey get off of him!" The accomplice pushed Naruto off only for him to have a rock thrown at his head. Kiyoko forced herself to stop crying, she ran tackling the boy to the ground. A sinister growl left her as she hit and scratched the boy.

"You leave Naru-Nii alone!" She screamed. The two boys had managed to get away from them. Running like the cowards they were.

Naruto had pulled his sister to her feet, "Kiyo-chan are you okay?" A red mark decorated his cheek from where he'd been hit. His blue eyes searched her own for signs of pain.

"I'm fine" she looked down, "a skinned knee is all, but Naru-nii you're hurt!"

Pointing his thumb towards himself he laughed, "It's nothing 'ttebayo! After all, I'm the greatest Ninja ever born!" His smile was infectious. whenever he pointed that radiant face towards her; why Kiyoko felt like she was staring at the sun. 

"Come on Kiyo-chan." He pulled her back towards the main street of the village. "what were you doing out here anyway, you know Tou-San doesn't like it when we wander too far."

A small scoff left her as she pouted. "Why does it matter anyway, it's the middle of the day and Dog-san is watching right now."

Naruto looked at her with questionable eyes, "you didn't find another dead thing to poke at did ya!"

"It was a dead bird! I'm waiting for it to turn into bones and I came out here to check and see!"

"Why can't you find less-" he stopped and looked at his sister. Of all the people in his life, whom he loved (which was only a few too begin with), Kiyoko was his most precious. He worried about her, as she still had turned five not too long ago. The girl didn't look like most girls he saw playing around the village. Her horns made her stand out yes, but; her little pail that she carried full of dirt and bones didn't help. Whenever she had wandered off from his side, when playing pranks and causing general mischief; she always ended up in the woods or near the memorial stone. The ANBU minders set to watch after them, always split up, though they never interfered with them. They were silent with their watching to make sure that they were never hurt. 

"I'm sorry that I had you worried Naru-Nii," Kiyoko looking down to the ground sniffled, "I-"

"Don't cry and don't apologize, yeah." He nodded his head, like a big brother it was his job to make sure she didn't feel bad. "We're gonna have ramen for dinner, it'll make you feel better."

Her wide eyes turned up to him, "huh I thought Tou-San didn't want us spoiling our dinner."

"The old man won't even be home till late tonight and I also don't think its Dog-san who is watching after us right now. It may be Fox-san and they don't care." He pulled her past the glaring eyes that followed them both as they entered the village main street. It was always like this, the villagers would move out of their way.

"Demons" a hushed sneer

"I can't believe Lord Fourth would let them roam like this." A holier than thou glare.

"Momma, can I play with them?" A small child asked.

"No, we don't play with those sorts."The mother turned her nose up.

Naruto kept a grin to his face, choosing to ignore the glares and sneers. Kiyoko had lost all the childish wonder in her eyes and glared back at the people. The woman and child had last caught her attention, she had heard them. The random woman, not bothering to hide her disgust. 

Kiyoko had had it, "I WOULDN'T WANNA PLAY WITH YOUR KID ANYWAY IF THEY ACTED LIKE A MEAN BITCH LIKE YOU!" Her outburst had stopped her brother in his tracks. The echo of her scream quieted the area, garnering looks of fear and hate. The random woman pulled her daughter close to her, hiding her face in her skirt. Tears blurred her vision as the murmurs began again. The words demon and monsters, the most common. 

A tug on her hand refocused her, the sun smiled at her, her brother. "C-come on Kiyo-chan" his voice shook a little bit. He was never the best at hiding his emotions, he knew that she was scared and he was too. Naruto pulled her again, breaking into a jog pulling Kiyoko along. They were close to Ichiraku, the sooner they got there the better. The two kept going until they rounded a corner and practically ran into the ramen stall. Panting and out of breath, both of them looked at each other. A small laugh bubbled up from Naruto first. Confusion crossed onto Kiyoko, it slowly turned into a smile then a laugh as well.

"That was some swearing Kiyo-Chan" he said between laughs, "the old man would be mad!"

The girl looked down, a bashful gleam in her eyes. "I just didn't know what to do" crawling onto the red bar stool. "Besides, it felt good, just like when I called old lady Miyashi a pig-headed ass!"

Naruto spun around on his stool calling out, "Tuechi-San!" 

"Yes, Naruto" Tuechi leaning against the counter with a smile on his face meant that ramen would probably be free. "I see you brought Kiyoko as always. Glad you were able to find her."

"I was out checking on my bird." The young girl sighed, "it still has a little way before it becomes bones though."

Ayame had sat down two small cups filled with Amakaze, "I hope you two aren't causing too much trouble eh?" A hint of teasing settled into her voice.

"No ma'am, I only cursed at a mother and her daughter!" Kiyoko took the drink and downed it, "You make the best rice drink Ayame!" She had completely missed how the older girl sat there floored.

Naruto had only laughed harder at the shocked expressions on their faces. "We're here for ramen! So can we have some?"

Shaking his head, Tuechi went and started the orders of ramen. He never needed to ask what kind. Naruto always ordered miso and his darling sister always wanted what he had. 

And so this was how it always was. Naruto and Kiyoko would eat dinner together at the only place that didn't turn them away. They would laugh and chat about their pranks and traps that they set. Kiyoko would go over the various things she had found during her wanderings out in the woods. Both of them were often alone, sneered at and frowned upon. Moments like this though were always the best, where both of them were out spoiling their dinner, knowing that they would be scolded by their father (if at all). This was always worth waking up another day, to have each other.

-

That night Minato had gotten home at a decent hour. A migraine from his day reading papers and dealing with the council, thrummed throughout his head. Danzo had been persistent in wanting an audience with him to discuss the Uchiha matter. He hadn't wanted to deal with the old war hawk (who may have been out to get him), nor did he want to address the matter without Fugaku present.

_"Namikaze, you need to take this seriously. The Uchiha can not be trusted and you let them continue the act in such a brazen fashion, against that of the village." Danzo had slammed his hands onto the table that they all sat around. The other two senior members, watching with grave faces filled with trepidation agreed._

_His blue eyes remained blank, unreadable. His own poker face had to be infuriating to look at as he replied. "You are not to act on this Danzo. I will work with Fugaku personally to try and find a way to mend the rift."_

_Danzo had growled low," Namikaze-"_

_"I as the Hokage, protector of this village and those in it will not be disrespected. If you act on this plan Danzo-San. You will be arrested, tried, and executed." As always his voice kept it's even timbre, not even raising a fraction of an octave. Pokerface still and unmoving._

Minato hadn't missed how Danzo, once again refused to acknowledge his title as Hokage. He also didn't miss the chance to refer to him as Danzo- San instead of Sama. Petty? Yes, it was but, it always got the point across. Bloodshed was not needed, and the killing of a founding clan wasn't needed either. He himself would work to help mend the poor relationship between the village and the Uchiha. As the Fourth Hokage, it was his duty to keep peace upon his village.

It was an Uchiha that controlled the fox, he knew for a fact. He also knew that it wasn't anyone in the clan. The masked man was not familiar, and he appeared to be old enough to match him in age. Stepping through the front door to his home, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Something dropped on his head and he instantly knew. Another prank had been let off in the house. Water splashed down on him, not bothering to move with speed to avoid it. He could let Naruto have this, every once and awhile. Chuckling he slipped off his shoes and went to find his children. Both of them sat behind the couch double over in fits of giggles. 

"We sure got you old man!" Naruto laughed even louder at his father.

"You're all wet Tou-san." His darling daughter smiled, getting up to hug him. She pressed her face into his pant leg and grinned up at him.

Picking up Kiyoko and shaking his head at Naruto, a smile spread across his lips. "It's after nine-thirty you two"

"But we waited up for you!" Kiyoko hugged him tightly. 

"And both of you didn't eat the dinner Mikoto sent over." He scolded, "you went to Ichiraku's today didn't you?"

"No," said his sunshine 

"Yes," said his sunflower. 

Both of the kids looked at each other and began laughing again. Still rowdy from their 'successful' prank. Neither of them was tired of what he sensed. "You both should be in bed." He grabbed hold of Naruto's hand and led them both upstairs.

Kiyoko began to whine, kicking her feet she cried, "But you just got home Tou-san and we haven't seen you all day!"

"I know my dear sunflower, but you two start at the academy tomorrow and you both need your rest."

"Oh come on old man," sighing, Naruto wiggled out of his grasp. "We can't stay up even a little bit with you, Kiyo-chan had been waiting all day!"

Closing his eyes with another heavy sigh, he opened up his son's room first. Though he didn't know why he bothered to put them to bed separately. Come morning they would both be in the same bed. Cuddled together under the mountains of blankets, Kiyoko insisted she needed. Naruto said not another word as he climbed into his bed. A sinking feeling in his chest as his sister began to cry. He also didn't bother to say good night to either of them. The boy wanted his dad to know he was upset. Naruto still mumbled a soft night under his breath.

Minato still didn't miss the soft grumble of a goodnight under his son's breath though. A slight comfort in knowing that tomorrow morning Naruto wouldn't hate him too much. As for his daughter, her crying had reduced to sniffles and a death grip to his flack jacket. Her left horn caught itself right under his chin, leaving a bit of a knick. It was almost time to round them out again.

"Tou-San. You're gonna be there tomorrow with us. Right?" Those gold eyes turned up towards him. Wiggling herself to get a better view of him. Hopefulness in the gaze she gave him, her bottom lip quivering, begging for the right answer. The kind of answer that she wanted to hear.

He knew he wouldn't be able to go. Work at the Hokage tower called for him. Early morning meetings, the council (unfortunately Danzo) all demanded his attention. At that moment though, with those big watery golden eyes on him, his son's anger one door down, he felt like a crappy father. Kushina's loving yet dying smile, in his mind along with that pale woman's trust in him, sent a fresh wave of guilt through him. Well, it worsened his migraine, to say the least. It must have been a sign from both women to not abandon their children, their love and legacy.

Laying her down into the bed, Minato smiled, "I will take the morning off tomorrow. " he kissed the side of her forehead, "we'll round out your horns, have a great breakfast, you, your brother, and I."

A smile stretched across her lips and tired happiness washed over Kiyoko. "Will Dog-San be there?"

Minato laughed "I see that he is your favorite."

"He is the only one that sits in the same room with me and Naru-Nii. He doesn't say much, they all never do- but we know that he likes us." She yawned and closed her eyes, "night Tou-san."

Minato raised an eyebrow at that. He couldn't have 'Dog-San' but he could have Kakashi in attendance. He would be returning later this evening from his mission. As for him being the only one to sit in the same room as them, well he was pleased by this fact. Seeing how the teenager didn't like the company, or always had an eye-roll when tasked with watching his cousins. Minato liked to pretend that's how he saw them, as his kid cousins, that he didn't wanna watch.

"Shikaku is gonna ring my neck." He said as he left the soft pink room. "But I am the Hokage and he can't exactly kill me for a missed morning briefing. " he smiled.

-

The next morning, it happened as he predicted. Naruto and Kiyoko were cuddled up under too many blankets. Both of them softly snoring, with Naruto half hanging out of the pile of blankets for cool air. The only difference was that both kids had crawled into his bed.

 _'We can have a late start.'_ Minato thought, enjoying the closeness of his family.

  
  



	3. Team 4: The Weasel and his kits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi meets his new team and well, it's safe to say he's mildly impressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My baby Itachi is in this one. I love him

_ Team Four: The Weasel and his Kits  _

_Itachi had sat quiet outside the Hokage's office. It had been six months since his mandated, leave from ANBU after undergoing an extended mission. He'd been agitated, and even became quite angry at the thought of leave. Still it felt nice to wake up and train with Sasuke, who would be graduating soon into Genin, was getting taller, faster and stronger. He couldn't wait for the day his kid brother caught up to him and the two would be equals. The door opened, Shikaku motioning for him to come in._

_"Ah Itachi-San, I wanted to welcome you back myself." Minato said, smiling at the young man._

_Bowing Itachi stood back up, "Thank you Hokage-Sama. It was a pleasure to have time with my family. Have I been summoned for another mission?"_

_"Always to the point eh?" Minato laughed "I actually have an assignment for you. You will not be returning to ANBU."_

_There were few things that Itachi enjoyed. Being in the black ops and protecting the village was one of them. He was a prodigy who had been added to ANBU at such a young age that this was second nature to him. To kill swiftly and silently. To be both within and without, shaping the village's safety one slice of his katana at a time. So when the Hokage told him that he was being removed from ANBU, after being on leave for six months. Well, it became a little harder to hide his distaste in his eyes._

_Shikaku shook his head. "After your last mission in which your whole squad had died. The Hokage thought it would be best for a change of pace for you."_

_"You will have jonin status from here on out." Minato smiled with his eyes closed (no doubt opting not to see the young man's eye twitch)._

_Both men had kept a friendly smile, Itachi felt like he was going to be sick. He didn't see himself as the sensei type. He barely was able to properly mentor Sasuke. It wasn't that he was bad at it. It was that after years of ANBU, years of being militant, of barking orders, of being with like minded people, it had made it hard to connect with the outside._

_He was both within and without._

_"Is that all Hokage-Sama? " he didn't plan on arguing. He planned on failing the team and being done with it._

_Minato must have known, as he shook his head with a smile. "I doubt that you will be able to fail them Itachi, they will prove to be quite resilient when their goals are on the line."_

That was how he came to watch the three young kunoichi four days later. Brand new gleaming hitai-ate tied to each of them in their own fashion. All of them were chatting, having been familiar with each other in their academy days. He had already decided how he was to fault them, if they could pass his test then they wouldn't be fit to be more than genin. Watching as the girls squabbled, amongst themselves; he became horrored that there was no cooperation between them.

He observed the three girls, starting with the quiet one first. She wore a simple short blue shirt and red shorts, her dark hair cut into a short bob. Her eyes were soft green and her skin quite fair. Next to her, sat a loud and rude girl. The only one to go near and stay near the fox demon's host. She was accused of being a demon, with strange horns on her head. The horns were hidden behind her massive curly red hair, with two black ribbons struggling to hold them into pigtails. She wore a pink short kimono that stopped at her thigh and dark knee length tights. Because of the horns she wore her head band around her left arm. Last the other loudmouth who argued with the horned girl wore only a black half shirt and tan capris. Her head band tied d proud to her forehead.

The three girls were going to kill each other if he didn't intervene.  
-

Kiyoko leaned back onto the ground, "ugh where is this lazy good for nothing sensei, he was supposed to be here hours ago." She whined to no one in particular.

"It's only been four minutes." A quiet voice reminded her.

"Oh so you do talk?" Kiyoko laughed "you barely talked in class Tanami and now you choose to scold me for complaining? "

Tanami, a quiet girl of twelve, sat glaring at the loud one. She opened her mouth to scold her again, but stopped as the third member of the team jumped in.

"Unlike you horn girl, she at least graduated in the top ten of our class, you came second to dead last, like your loser brother!" Another girl snorted, with her nose turned up.

"At least I'm not a civilian and cannon fodder!" Kiyoko sat up to glare back at the other girl. "And don't you ever insult my brother ever again Ayaka! Or I'll punch you!"

Both girls by this time had gotten to their feet and into each other's faces. Brown eyes glaring at gold eyes, fists clenched ready to attack. Sighing, Tanami wedged herself between the two. Trying her best to keep the girls from beating each other into a pulp.

"Ayaka-chan why would you bring up her brother!" Tanami stretched out her arms, struggling against the force Kiyoko had in wanting to get to the source of her rage.

"It's true!" She shouted. "If it wasn't then I wouldn't have said it!"

"I see you are all acquainted." Itachi had been there, leaning against the arch way to the courtyard. He requested that they all meet in Senju park. A place he was sure would be central to each of their dwellings.

"Ah! Sensei it is a pleasure to meet you." Tanami had quickly bowed at the waist.

Crossing her arms and cocking her hip to the side, Kiyoko rolled her eyes "You're late and you left me alone with this cretin." She nodded her head towards Ayaka.

"Who you calling a cretin, you yokai."

Itachi closed his eyes, he was sure that a headache was to be gained from this. His jonin jacket felt heavy, and being in charge of these girls seemed to be more trouble than it's worth. Maybe he should've told the Hokage that he wanted to join the police force instead.

"Quiet." He was loud this time, rarely had he ever had to raise his voice. His face kept the stoic look, as to not betray his thin patience. The girls all shut up as expected in the presence of their sensei. Eagerness on all of their faces, when was the last time Itachi saw such eagerness?

"I want you all to share your name and one skill you excel in and one that needs work, along with a goal and a weakness." Itachi spoke as he walked past them to sit at the base of the tree they were near. All three girls sat down and watched him, no doubt trying to come up with suitable answers.

"Uhm I guess I will go first sensei, if I may." Tanami smiled, "I am Tachi Tanami, age twelve, I excel in bukijutsu, I need work in genjutsu. A goal that I have is to be acknowledged by my family. My weakness is uhm" she paused, "my weakness is my mother."

"I'm **_the_** Kikumoto Ayaka! Thirteen, I excel in ninjutsu, and I don't suck at much. My goal is to keep food on the table and pockets lined with ryo. My one and only weakness is guys with brown hair."

"Ah so that's your type, no wonder you didn't fawn over the Uchiha in class." Kiyoko teased

"Oh shut it!"

Itachi almost raised both of his eyebrows at Ayaka. Her self perceptions of her abilities and ego would certainly be her downfall. Last he turned to Kiyoko.

"Amano Kiyoko," she began, "I'm eleven and a half, I excel in taijutsu, need work in ninjutsu. My goal is to live a long and prosperous life so that I may care for my reckless brother and my overworked father. My weakness is that I can't stand it when people talk ill of my Naru-nii to the point where I almost always have to say something in his defense."

Nodding his head, Itachi sighed, "Hn, interesting."

"Kiyoko-chan I always thought you and Naruto were orphans." Tanami tilted her head to the side, "I've never seen you with your parents at school."

 _'It's because of the henge,'_ Kiyoko thought bitterly. It was rare that her father, the fourth was in public with them so freely. He kept Naruto's parentage under wraps in fear that some Iwa ninja would come after him. As for her, she looked nothing like Namikaze, that and the fact that she and her brother were alone most of the time. They hadn't had an ANBU minder for some time now, not since their second year at the academy. "Well, I have a dad. He's just always busy on missions and junk."

Pointing at the young man Ayaka frowned, "Oi sensei you didn't introduce yourself!" She yelled

"Don't yell at sensei like that it's rude!" The green eyed girl scolded

"I am Uchiha Itachi of the Crow." He spoke quietly. This caused all three girls to silence themselves once again. "I haven't much to tell about myself. I am an accomplished shinobi who has been tasked with further evaluating you. If you fail my test then you will be sent back to the academy. "

The air around the four of them became tense. Kiyoko pursed her lips, she had already struggled to pass the genin exam and this man was threatening them with being sent back. She wasn't having it.

"Itachi-sensei, y-you can't be serious can you?" Tanami's voice shook with worry. Ayaka gritted her teeth growling, ripping at the grass in the ground. The three girls all glanced at each other.

Ayaka got up first, slamming her fist into her open hand. A look of pure determination on her face, "Well sensei, let's get to it, can't have you getting in the way of my ambitions."

Tanami nodded her head as well, "Hai Itachi-sensei."

Kiyoko did not say anything as she rolled her shoulders.

-

Everything in and on Kiyoko hurt, from her teeth to the soles of her feet. She was disoriented, and the sounds of crows cawing had grated themselves into her psyche. This shinobi was trying to kill them! It started out simple enough, they had to try and pin down their sensei. If they couldn't in the allotted hour they would fail. Itachi was quick though! It had to be unfair to go against a genius of his magnitude without any handicaps.

"Ayaka watch out!" Tanami had shouted, as her teammate went flying past her into another tree. The girl screaming out in pain landed with a powerful thud. Ayaka insisted on full front assault charges.

"What in the fuck! I know for a fact that it has to have been more than an hour!" Ayaka got up on shaky legs.

Kiyoko stood with her back against Tanami and Ayaka. A black feather caught her eye briefly but she didn't think much of it. This training area was known to have birds nearby. She had found plenty of them in her youth. "Look, sensei is too quick for us to land a hit on him, it's like he's in multiple places at once."

"I agree with Kiyoko-chan, but" Tanami stopped when she noticed something wrong with the sky, it was weird. Then suddenly it clicked as to why neither of them could catch sensei. Why time seemed to slow dramatically and then speed up. Why an hour seemed to pass so slow. Tanami closed her eyes and focused, the cry of another crow stuck out to her.

 _'Every two minutes a crow calls, it must be the signal of the loop.'_ she thought as she opened her eyes. It was weak but her eyes had flashed red. Her vision became the same color, enough for her to find the exit. Tanami had thrown down a smoke bomb, there was only a minute before the next loop.

"You guys listen!" She had figured it out first, but as she was about to share her findings a barrage of shuriken came flying towards them. All three girls barely dodged, Itachi was on the offensive now.

He no longer dodged the pitiful strikes of the genin and went into full attack mode. He landed where the girls had stood and honed in on Tanami first. He aimed a punch towards her gut and sent her flying backwards, only for Kiyoko to come at him. Her kick was aimed towards his head and he easily dodged it. But wait there was only two of them in this genjutsu. There was a loud pop upon Tanami landing, when the smoke cleared it was Ayaka standing there, blood dripping from her lip from an earlier failed attack. There was a ripple effect then, the wave of the sky shuddered and shimmered and the spell was broken.

 _'It was a henge'_ his eyebrows rose in mild shock. He hadn't noticed the switch, the only thing he saw was the smoke bomb, but the change couldn't have happened that quick with his Sharingan watching. Before him the three girls stood there panting. While it had only been forty minutes they broke out of his genjutsu before the hour was up.

"You never intended on us pinning you sensei!" Kiyoko screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You weasel!"

Ayaka panting, leaned over on her hands and knees, "yeah what a dick move, I would have never noticed the damn genjutsu."

His eyes travelled over to Tanami, who kept her eyes closed. Leaning against Kiyoko for support, she smiled. Then fainted from her lack of control on her chakra.

"Hm...so it was Tanami who figured it out and dispelled the genjutsu...I suppose the two of you helped create the distraction." Itachi folded his arms across his chest. He was both impressed and slightly agitated, they had used team work to pass his test.

"Be here tomorrow morning for your first lesson in chakra control. Six sharp don't be late." He spoke before disappearing in a flurry of crows.

Kiyoko grinned and punched the air, "We did it! Ow owww pain pain" she stopped her celebration and fell over on top of the still faint Tanami.

"Get off of her before you crush her."

"You calling me fat?"

"No I'm calling you insensitive." Ayaka sat down, next to them, "we should at least wait till she can get up."

"Yeah if it weren't for her we'd still be in that genjutsu. " Kiyoko sighed and stood up, "I'll be back, I gotta check on something."

"Something? Like what, we got our asses handed to us and you wanna run off?"

"Yeah, I have a project near by and I almost never get to check on it!" Kiyoko pushed through her throbbing limbs and ran off towards the forested area. As she got deeper into the training grounds a bigger and bigger smile spread across her face. The stench of decay reached her first. Then slowly in view came a small squirrel, its body was almost done decaying. The head was mostly bone, she plucked it up and brushed away the worms and beetles. "Tou-San wouldn't mind another skull in the house. Naru-nii wouldn't mind either"

She already had an idea on what to do with this skull. She would paint it a dark green after cleaning and disinfecting it. Glaze it with her pottery glaze and stick it in the oven. She'd be scolded yes, for doing it, but she didn't mind or couldn't care enough.

She began her walk back to her team. Both girls had never paid much attention to her in class. They didn't like her brother but almost none of the kids ever did. She herself didn't care (or she had convinced herself otherwise) for being liked, only that people didn't actively go out of the way to bother her and her Naru-Nii. Ayaka, that girl, she knew would be a pain in her ass, and Tanami was probably a prodigy in hiding. Her sensei seemed to be the type to focus on those with potential. It also burned her up, because unlike other teachers in the past who actively didn't like her. Itachi couldn't be read.

"Ugh" she whined again, "why is this my life?" She held the skull up and examined it. "I give it a month before his biases show." She stopped at the edge of the clearing, not expecting either of the two girls to be there. To her surprise though it was Tanami who had waited.

"Hey, thanks for waiting for me Kiyoko-chan" Tanami got up smiling. "Ayaka had to leave to go home, she didn't want to be late for dinner."

It was quiet between both girls for a moment. Kiyoko didn't know what to think, "no problem, didn't really wanna leave you out here like that."

"You wanna walk home together?"

"No, I'm gonna go to Ichiraku's to meet Naru-Nii. Maybe next time."

"Oh, okay then well" she bowed politely, "see you in the morning Kiyoko-chan." And with that she ran off.

"Yeah...it'll be a month before they get tired of me." She whispered to her skull.

_ Omake: Sunshine and Sunflower  _

"The old man is gonna be pissed that you brought home another skull." Naruto had just gotten into his fifth bowl of ramen. A bit of broth and noodle splashed his baby sister. She laughed.

"Naru-Nii please, and I'm so happy to know that you passed after all!" Kiyoko had slurped down a mouthful as well. "Though Tou-san was pretty pissed that you stole that scroll the other night."

"Eh he should've had better security." Shrugging his shoulders he called for another bowl of ramen. How could he eat six bowls at once and not get sick.

Kiyoko rolled her eyes at him. "No, you shouldn't have let that weird sensei get to you." Another bit of broth splashed her from his eating habits,. "Hey! You sure you're not an Akimichi in disguise?"

"No Tuechi makes good food!"

A low growl had interrupted the two siblings as a shadow loomed over them both. A regular brown haired man stood behind them both, a stern look in his blue eyes. Naruto slowly slurped at his noodles from his fresh bowl of ramen, while Kiyoko had a sweat drop.

To the outside world it looked to be an ordinary man frustrated with the local demon children. But to the three of them there, it was the fourth Hokage himself.

"You're both out here spoiling your dinner." Minato shook his head.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto went back to eating. Talking with his mouth full, "Why does it matter, Mikoto-San rarely sends over dinner anymore."

 _'Kushina is rolling in her grave'_ thought the distressed parent. Sighing he placed down ryo for the ten bowls of ramen. "Both of you need to come home this evening. I need to chat with you both about new expectations and rules now that you're both Shinobi." His eyes then landed on the semi cleaned rodent skull.

"Another one Kiyoko?" He asked, well it was more like a statement. Naruto snickered out an 'I told you so'

"Why not, I don't have a squirrel one yet and this one is female!" She whined holding the tiny skull to her chest. If she whined and complained enough, she knew he'd cave. He always did.

"Fine." Said the Hokage.

Both kids looked at each other. They thanked Tuechi and Ayame for the food and followed after Minato. Both had quite a bit to share about their first day as ninjas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	4. Omake: The Underside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omake are extra scenes. That being said this is filler while I write the next plot heavy chapter. My intentions with these filler chapters is to tale a look at relationships and how Kiyoko sees the world around her in her youth. There are two types of Omake. The Underside and Sunshine and Sunflower. 
> 
> The Underside focuses on Kiyoko and the spirit world and how it shapes her.
> 
> Sunshine and Sunflower focuses on Kiyoko and her village life. Her family relationships and how those effect her.

The smell of decay always felt like home to Kiyoko. She had found the small white bird nearby at the playground, and made it her job to keep track of its progress in becoming one with the ground. Her red pail sat next to her, turned over spilling the contents of dirt and rocks onto the ground. The blue sky, it seemed endless during the summer time. The sun shone brightly, with the wind whispering through her curly mop of red hair. Kiyoko was supposed to be at the Uchiha compound hours ago to have her hair brushed out by her foster mom Mikoto-San. She knew the ANBU minder was nearby, probably Bird-San, itching to pick her up and go. Bird-San did no such thing though, choosing not to get near the horned girl. 

"Little Birdy, little birdy, go fly away home. Your wings are clipped into the ground, but still your spirit flies so high." She sang as she brushed away the worms. She picked up one of the feathers and inspected it. White and soft, almost translucent in the bright Konoha sun. With a nod of her head she had deemed it worthy in her ever growing menagerie.

"Look you guys it's the horn girl!" A shout called out above the whispered wind.

Soon before she could collect her treasures into her pail she was surrounded. A group of three girls had found her, all of them with a mocking sneer. Kiyoko kept her eyes on each one, making an escape plan. She knew she couldn't fight them all off. She knew that Bird-San wouldn't get involved, their minders never did when it was children who taunted them, only the adults did they keep at bay. 

"Leave me alone" Kiyoko got to her feet only to be pushed back down.

The leader sneered, "Whatcha got there demon girl another dead toy?"

"She's a creep and that forehead, it's almost as bad as billboard brow" the short lanky girl laughed. They all laughed and teased.

Kiyoko balled up her fist, "I am not a bill brow you take that back!" She pushed the leader girl.

"You don't even know the insult rotten girl" the up leader clicked her teeth and shoved, with all her might, the girl into the ground. Kiyoko scraped her hands catching herself. Hot tears could be felt in her eyes, she refused to cry.

"Is this her death pail?" The short fat one picked up her pail, "eww it even smells gross, here look!" She thrusted her hand out to show her friends. The leader girl laughed, ceased the pail, and emptied it clean. A wicked grin crossed her face.

"Real girls shouldn't be playing with dead stuff, that's what little boys do. Are you a boy now too, horn demon?" Her eyes then flicked over to the bird, the target spotted. 

Frowning and scrambling to her feet. Kiyoko screamed, "no you leave that birdy alone don't crush it!"

"It is already dead, horn girl" the leader laughed again, causing her other friends to join in.

A low angry growl caught them all off guard. A few feet away, crouched a russet red dog. Its eyes were pure white, teeth bared, and drool spilled out of its maw. This dog beast wanted blood; red, hot, iron filled blood. It barked once, twice, and then thrice. Each loud thundering bark, more viscous than the last. Soon there was screaming, the pounding of feet as the bullies retreated. Kiyoko sat there frozen in fear. She didn't want to leave the bird, defenseless to this beast.

The ANBU, who was indeed Bird-San, dropped from her perch in the tree. Landing smoothly between girl and dog. There were no markings that this dog was from the Inuzuka kennel. It didn't appear to be blind, from how it watched Bird-San. The next few moments happened quicker than Kiyoko's eyes could keep up. The dog had rushed past Bird-San, maneuvered around her to the bird, snatched it up and darted off towards the forest. Bird-San was quick to pick up Kiyoko and shunshined away. Her pail and treasures were left behind.

It was the first and only time any of the ANBU, (save for Dog-San) had picked her up. Bird-San took the initiative to drop her at the entrance to Mikoto's home. Finally she was rid of the girl.  
-  
That late afternoon was a shift change, Kiyoko knew it to be true because the shadows had become long. Bird-San didnt like staying, waiting for relief to show, she was scared of the energy around Kiyoko. Most people who were suspicious of bad omens, were afraid of the lingering energy. It was always present, suffocating even, but the girl never noticed (if she did though, she didn't mind as it was always there). So because of this, she was left alone to her devices, deciding to go and find her pail.

"Thank you for taking care of me Miko-San." Kiyoko bowed politely to the woman. Her hair in two fresh pigtails, combed and knott free. Bangs trimmed to a proper length that any mother would appreciate. The only thing was that her horns stood out, and she knew that Tou-San would want to round them out again.

Mikoto smiled with warmth in her face, "Please Kiyoko-chan, do not have me worry about you again, I was afraid you let your brother pull you into mischief today. It takes me quite some time to press your hair and I like to start early." She scolded, still with a smile to her lips. She adored her darling foster daughter. When her late best friend's husband came to her, with the girl dirty from the day's play, and leftover paint in her hair, he was frantic (though his poker face said otherwise). Minato had practically begged for assistance in rearing a girl child, unable to tame her hair and feared that he'd be unable to handle her when she inevitably became a woman.

"I know, and I am sorry."

"My dear Kiyoko-chan, I say this because I love you like you are my daughter." Mikoto patted her on the head and sent her away with a smile.

Kiyoko had run back to the park, she didn't have much time before the next minder came for her. The sun began to get lower to the ground, the light in Konoha fading. Glancing towards Hokage Rock, she could see the bright glow of the fluorescent orange paint that her brother favored. It mixed with blues and reds, no doubt another prank gone right, and another day for him with their father's ire. Reaching the playground, gasping for breath, Kiyoko began to search for her pail. 

Crying her knees gave way, dropping her to the ground, "Oh no! It's gone!" 

The same growl had alerted her again. It was no longer angry, the noise tapered off into a soft whine. The dog beast stood at the tree lining, her pail handle in its maw. The two stared at each other, this beast knew her. She was not scared.

"D-do you want me to follow you?" Standing up the girl's nose was assaulted by the smell of decay. It was calming.

The dog beast turned and trotted away, pail still in mouth. She followed after him, called to him, asked for her pail back. They got deeper into the woods, the sun now gone behind the horizon. Kiyoko rounded a bush, she saw a tuft of red fur disappear behind. 

Furrowing her brow, "Where did you go?" 

"Right here." A voice came from behind her.

She jumped and spun around to face a tall man. His skin was dark red, dressed in a black mesh top and black pants, eyes white without pupils and on top of his head sat horns. Her eyes became wide at his appearance, focusing on his horns. Instinctively reaching up to touch her own, a wide smile spreading across her lips.

"You have horns like me!" Her voice echoed in the small area. The excitement hitched in her voice, body vibrated with glee. "You have horns like me, wait till Tou-san and Naru-Nii meet you, they'll be so happy!"

Shaking his head, "I can't allow that to happen." 

Her glee came crashing down around her, tilting her head, " huh why?"

"Because humans are fickle and hunt what they don't know. I shouldn't even be showing myself to you, Hime." 

"I'm the Hokage's daughter, not some royal." She nodded her head, "well" her young child logic got to thinking, "if you can't come home to meet Tou-san and Naru-Nii, what are you here for? Ooh are you here to play with me and keep me company? "

A light sigh escaped his lips, he looked over at a thicket of trees and bushes. They weren't there before but the man put them there to conceal his barrier. Only another demon would be able to see through. Skilled humans, or what they called shinobi could sense it, could sense him. Kiyoko looked at the barrier too, not knowing that was what it was. She could hear frantic calling, it sounded like her father. He was worried and then she realized it was past her curfew.

"I have to go home now." She looked back towards the man. "I'm sorry, my Tou-San is calling for me and my Miko-San and the Anbu minders are probably worried too. Oh and so is Naru-Nii. "

Scoffing the man looked back at her, "you are small, and you can't protect yourself. You need to be tougher and stronger. Human children shouldn't be able to beat the princess of The Underside."

"I-"

He cut her off, "Stay safe Hime," he turned to leave. The first person who ever looked liked her was leaving.

"Wait, you didn't tell me your name!" She called

"Baku." And then he was gone only red mist remained.

She didn't know how long she stood there, she picked up her pail. She peeked inside, all of the white feathers from the bird she found were in the pail, along with her rocks and fresh dirt. An ANBU, Dog-San had landed next to her. He reached out and grabbed her hand, there was a tremble to it. Was he angry?

"Dog-San." She looked up at him, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"Kiyoko!" A flash of yellow, and there stood her father. He didn't wear his henge. A look of relief on his otherwise stoic face. "You can't just run off like that, what are you doing way out here?" He scolded.

"I was near the playground." Shaky voice and sad eyes. She hated when she was scolded by him.

"The playground is a kilometer away, Kiyoko." There was harshness in his voice.

"But Tou-San" 

"No buts, you're lucky Dog was able to track you." By now he had taken her hand from Dog-San. He looked down at her pail, the feathers and other knickknacks. Another frustrating sigh left him. He knelt down to her level, the harsh gaze had melted when she began to actually cry. It wasn't one of her tantrum cries but a sad one.

"I- I'm so-sorry Tou-San." She barely got through the heave of breath. Her crying began to worsen.

"It's fine, let's just get you back home." Picking her up, and turning his gaze to Dog. An unspoken order between the two of them, and then Dog was gone. He sent him off to see who had left a rather strong chakra signature. He couldn't exactly pin where it was, but he felt the natural energy of the area be disrupted. He knew what the woods were supposed to feel like. He was worried that his daughter was in the middle of being spirited away from home. His presence or Kakashi's must have scared them to abandon their mission.

"Kiyoko, who was with you." He asked on their walk home.

"It was Baku-San, I think it was a spirit."

"A spirit huh?"

"Yeah, he was a dog beast that stopped some girls from bothering me." She let out a shaky breath, still coming down from her cry.

"Hmm," he looked up at the Hokage faces and sighed. His naruto would be cleaning the mess for hours. "Sweety there are no such things as spirits."

"I see them at the memorial stone, so there must be."

He chuckled at her childish logic. Children didn't comprehend reality the same as an adult. He hoped she would grow out of it, and that she would be able to recognize stranger danger. Perhaps he would use a fail safe on both his children. A tracking seal to alert him and their minders for when they near training areas and the gates and general places that they shouldn't be. Maybe he could place a hiraishin seal on them both. 

"Tou-San...are there other people like me?" She caught him off guard with that question.

"What do you mean sunflower?" He readjusted her so that he could look at her fully.

"People who have horns like me, people who like weird things like me, people like me." The crack in her voice hurt his heart.

"Sunflower, your horns are special, and you are special. There are plenty of people who are like you. Sweet, caring, and bright. You are like me and you are like Naruto. You are like the other children of the village."

Frowning her eyes became angry, "No I'm not! I get called demon girl and horn girl and people tease me! I look nothing like other little girls-"

Minato watched her with a passive face, in his eyes a deep sadness. He was witnessing the same crisis that his son was also going through. "You are my daughter, the daughter of the fourth Hokage. You need to be strong, no kunoichi would cry over her differences, she would take pride in them."

He stopped walking, just before they opened the door to the house. Kiyoko's gold eyes were a mix between happy and sad. She only hugged her dad and stayed quiet. 

It had been too long of a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me clarify, Kiyoko hasn't turned five as of yet.
> 
> Thank you for reading


	5. Tree climbing and Ramen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How many times can a ninja fall from a tree before they get a concussion? That is the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so we finally get to see team seven. I have some notes at the end. Dont worry though it wont be spoilers to the plot.

__

_Chapter 3: Tree climbing and Ramen_

"Five in the morning should be illegal." Kiyoko groaned as she rolled out of bed. The loud thump of her landing, rattled the knick knacks on the dresser and bedside table. One of her small decorative skulls slipped off the end of the bedside table and thunked her on the head. Another groan, louder this time as she didn't bother to move. The sun hadn't even peaked into her room yet, the sky was beginning to become lighter shades of blue and orange. Instead of getting up, Kiyoko laid there on the floor, trying to get herself to get up. When in all honesty her body refused to operate before six.

"Kiyoko, get up or you'll be late." The door to the room creaked open. Minato heard the thump on the floor from the kitchen. "Kiyoko, come on." He nudged her with his foot and frowned. How in Kami's good name did he end up with children who refused to get up early like respectable shinobi? He called her name again and knelt down next to her. "You're not gonna have time for breakfast if you don't get up. I'm sure Itachi won't tolerate tardiness. " he sighed with a tired smile.

He only got a half snored, grumbling response from his daughter. Something along the lines of _'future me problem...sleep more'_. Minato shook his head and took note of the time, it was only ten past five. In the next room over, the sound of the alarm clock blaring got his attention. He took note of his son unplugging the clock and also the grumbling let him know that both kids were going to be late. So Minato did the only thing he knew to work. He left the room and returned with a bucket of water. A mischievous glint in his eyes shone, as he splashed water on to the girl. 

"OI!" She jumped up and immediately started screaming "Tou-San WHY would you DO THAT!" Her hair frizzled up in all directions and the breeze from the hallway made her shiver. 

"You're going to be late." Was the simple answer. "Now to get your brother up and moving."

"Ugh" she whined "why would such an annoying man adopt me"

"Get dressed and get going, you're going to be late." With a shake of his head he left the doorway ignoring the girl's grumbling curses.

Kiyoko rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock. A shiver of dread ran through her. It was already ten minutes to half an hour! Kami knows what that deranged Jounin would do to her!

"HEY OLD MAN WHAT GIVES!" Naruto screamed after the sound of water splashing about.

The siblings were already starting off fine.

-

Future her problem indeed! Kiyoko had sprinted out of the house, down to the designated training grounds. She had taken to the back alley ways to avoid the morning crowds in the streets. By the time she reached the edge of the training field was ten past six. The view of her teammates came into focus as she got closer. 

"About fucking time yokai!" Ayaka screamed. Hip cocked to the side, arms crossed, a sneer plastered to her face, the frown lines were deep. "You're lucky Itachi-sensei isnt here yet or we'd be ass out!" 

"Oh shut it cannon fodder, I'm here aren't I?" Kiyoko hunched over bracing herself onto her knees. "Ugh I ran here so fast I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

Tanami shook her head, "I can give you my spare alarm clock if you want Kiyoko-chan."

"No need, and please stop with the honorifics." She wheezed. 

Ayaka rolled her eyes hard, her frown was going to age her by ten more years, "For a ninja you're pretty outta shape."

"You know you could be quiet, and for your information I had a rough start this morning!" Kiyoko stood back up and waved her arms about! "My old man was giving me the run around!"

"Oh please that's a sorry excuse!"

"Girls" Tanami was barely heard over the two shouting at each other. She had her eyes trained on their sensei who had seemed to appear out of thin air. "Uhm girls-"

"What Tanami!" Both of them turned to look at the third teammate. 

"Uhm…" she pointed behind them.

"Regardless of why you're late, you're still late." Itachi stood there, stern gaze pinned to Kiyoko and Ayaka. There was a hint of agitation in his voice. "I specified six am, not ten minutes pass." A cold chill ran down all three of the girls spine, the latest one more so. He kept his face blank and passive, though it was clear that a bit of killing intent seeped through.

"Oi! Itachi-sensei, I apologize for being-" Kiyoko laughed nervously, only to be cut off.

"All three of you will be doing laps around the village, at the end of training." He said, watching the girls all fall flat onto their faces in shame.

"Why do I have to be punished for Yokai's actions!" Ayaka jumped to her feet in anger. 

"Call me yokai one more time and I swear!" 

"It's to teach teamwork...you three barely have it but it needs improvement. A team is only as strong as its weakest member. " The man raised an eyebrow, "Now if you two could stop your bickering, I can explain what today's lesson will be." The girls had fallen in line as he expected them to.

Finally, they were quiet and he took note that it was the promise of learning that shut them all up. He then began the lesson, a brief overview of what chakra control was and why it was so important to build this skill. Things that they all should have known already, but in his experience it was best to not assume.

"And that leads us to the first skill you all will be working on." He turned his attention to the tree that he had them gather around. With ease he walked up and then turned to face the three stunned Genin.

"WHOA LET ME AT IT!" Ayaka ran towards the next tree over, "I'll have it down in no time!" She put one foot to the tree and was immediately sent flying back into the ground. The dust settled as Kiyoko's laughter rang above the groans of pain.

"Ayaka-chan, you have to be steady." Tanami sighed, "chakra control is a delicate art."

Kiyoko hadn't stopped laughing yet, "No no let her fail at it again" 

"Tanami is correct. This does require concentration and quite a bit of practice." Itachi shook his head, slight amusement in his eyes.

"Delicate smelicate puddin and pie." Ayaka sat up smirking, turning her attention to the still laughing Kiyoko. "You're still laughing yet you've not given it a try?"

"No" she wiped a tear from her eye, "I'm laughing cause you got rag dolled by a tree and your own foot!"

"Climb the tree yokai." Was the only reply she gave.

Kiyoko smiled and strutted up to the tree, "alright watch how it's done." Taking a deep breath, she put the sole of her foot to the base of the tree. The little bit of chakra she managed to put in her foot held her steady. She moved to repeat the process again but the second foot wouldn't stick completely. 

"Come on yokai, walk up the tree!" Ayaka teased.

"Hey it's not as easy as Itachi-sensei makes it look!" She barked back. Returning to the task at hand, she focused a bit more energy into the foot that wouldn't stick. Only instead to make it barely off the ground before she fell backwards. The pain throbbed in her head as she too groaned. 

Ayaka laughed this time, "oh so I see how it's done, gotta make sure you get that concussion aye!"

Meanwhile Tanami had given it a try at the tree walking. She was a bit more successful than her teammates, (who couldn't or rather wouldn't stop taking jabs at each other to concentrate), both of her feet were planted on the side of the tree. Small baby steps carried her about a foot and a half off the ground. "Sensei look!" She threw her hands up in glee.

"Well done Tanami." He glanced over at the bickering girls. "Maybe if you two got your act together, you'll be able to scale the tree entirely. As you can see Tanami has a head start on you both. "

Kiyoko opened her eyes and looked up at the girl, "Awesome on your first try too!"

"Tch, that's nothing, sensei told us to scale the whole tree, that's gotta be like, what thirty feet high!" Ayaka got back up, looking at Itachi. He hadn't moved from his spot on the tree, opting to instead throw kunai at the tree for markers.

"These trees are about fifty five feet tall. The top most kunai that I placed is about twenty feet up. By the time you have mastered this skill, I expect for you all to be able to climb these trees to their peaks." He then dropped down from the tree. 

"Sensei, that's insane!" Sighing Kiyoko kept on "who on earth can do that?" 

"I can and I can do it with ease...and I expect you three to do it as well. We will break for lunch at noon."

"Yes sir." All the girls sighed. 

The next five hours went by fast and painfully. The girls were covered in dirt from falling to the ground in their trials and errors. Tanami found that she could only get half way up to the kunai marker until her stamina gave way. Leading her to do a slide and roll off the tree. Ayaka had taken to getting a running start for most of her attempts. Only to be blown back when she forced too much chakra at once per foot. Still she managed getting at least almost halfway. Poor Kiyoko though was only able to get a quarter of the way up before her exhaustion got the best of her. Her chakra control was nothing compared to the high energy that Ayaka possessed or the methodical nature of Tanami. 

_'Fuck, how in the hell are they still going?'_ She thought hunching over. Slight discomfort radiated from her temple and forehead, but she brushed it off.

"Are you giving up Kiyoko?" Itachi asked.

"Huh? What no I'm not, just taking a breather sir" straightening back up with a stretch, she turned to Itachi . "It is getting close to lunch right?" Like clockwork, her stomach let out a growl and all she did was give a sheepish laugh.

Itachi didn't find it amusing, though he had been subjected to such gross bodily functions by his cousin. It in a way reminded him of Shisui and that made it only slightly more annoying. Then it finally clicked to him. This girl reminded him of his cousin, curly hair and loud, (though she didn't appear to be a prodigy. No, the team prodigy was clearly Tanami). He wasn't sure what to do about this revelation, perhaps keep the two from ever meeting each other. The thought of these two connecting and liking each other gave him a headache. 

"It is noon, and I did promise a break for lunch." He nodded his head. "Be back here for your laps in one hour."

"Hey you aren't gonna have lunch with us sensei?" Tanami slumped herself onto the base of the tree. "A lot of other teams usually break together, you know for bonding."

"Why would I want to bond with yokai?" Ayaka didn't miss the chance to be rude, earning a curse from Kiyoko.

"Because, I'll pay for lunch if you do." Tanami smiled, "that includes you too Sensei!" She gave a closed eye smile, the grin pushing up her cheeks in a comical fashion. 

Kiyoko clapped her hands together, "Oooh can we have ramen?" 

"All the food in the world and you want ramen?" Ayaka clicked her teeth, "we should have something healthy and light like a salad."

"Bleh," Kiyoko stuck her tongue out, "nobody wants to sit and eat grass and tomatoes for an hour." 

"Itachi-sensei you should really accompany us!" Tanami pleaded.

"Yeah sensei, why not?" Kiyoko put her arm around Tanami's shoulder.

Itachi turned and looked at them. Tanami had effectively managed to hold the weight of Kiyoko up, while Ayaka stood there with a questionable gaze. The tired sigh left him before he could correct it, "I have made plans for my lunch hour prior."

"Aaaw what?" Kiyoko complained. 

"Maybe next time." He said before disappearing in a flurry of crows.

"My next goal is to learn how he does that." Ayaka said, "like can you imagine, showing up to a battle field in a flock of crows? The absolute fear of being pecked to death would cause me to surrender...just imagine", there were stars in her eyes, "Ayaka the Yatagarasu*" She turned and began the walk back to the village. 

Tanami smiled, "That seems a bit vain Ayaka-chan." 

She kept walking at a lazy pace, "Tch...Are we getting ramen or not?"

"RAMEN MISO RAMEN!" Kiyoko jumped, "I'm getting extra menma."

"I didn't think of you as a menma type Kiyoko-chan." Tanami smiled.

"Ugh I said stop with the honorifics!"

"Sorry Kiyoko-chan!"

"Ugh!"

-

The girls had all arrived at Ichiraku's, and began to settle in for lunch. Teuchi had been pleasantly surprised to see Kiyoko at his countertop without her Naruto, but still happy to see her not alone. He was quick to start up the orders, as the girls only had an hour.

"So you and your brother come here on the regular? " Tanami asked. She rested her chin on her fist as she watched Kiyoko down her fifth cup of amakaze.

Kiyoko slammed down the cup and smiled, "Yep, it's like the only real affordable place to eat to be honest."

"Wait, you only eat here cause you're poor?" Ayaka frowned at that revelation. "For all that you can make a ramen at home."

"No I eat here because the food is the best you jackass!" She rolled her eyes hard. "Other places charge too much...and they give me and Naru-Nii a hard way to go."

"What do you mean Ki-chan?"

"I mean, hey wait?" Kiyoko blinked, she felt her cheeks become warm, "Ki-chan?"

"I can't bring myself to drop the honorifics, so this is about as close as you can get." Tanami shrugged her shoulders.

"Continue yokai."

"Oh well, that is the reason, they give me a hard way because... It's no secret that I'm a fish out of water." 

"So people are prejudiced?" Tanami's lip squirmed up into a frown. For a second a visceral feeling of disgust could be felt from her. As quickly as it came it left. "Well boo on them, so far you're pretty nice. "

"So are we gonna pretend that you and cannon fodder didn't pick on me with that same prejudice back at the academy? " Kiyoko smiled at Teuchi as he sat down her ramen first. Tanami didn't say anything at first as she stared down at her own bowl, while Ayaka raised an eyebrow. 

Ayaka broke apart her chopsticks, "I did and it was wrong. I can admit that I was a bitch back then." She then glanced at Kiyoko from the corner of her eye. "In the grand scheme of things I was a bitch to any and everyone, so you and your brother were no different. But" she stressed, "if you're gonna cry about it, I'm sorry."

Kiyoko could only scoff at her arrogance, "I don't really care for half ass apologies." 

"Well" Tanami sighed, "I'm sorry, I should have spoken up for you at least...what kinda of ninja lets the weak get picked on?"

"A weak one with no backbone." Ayaka sighed. 

"Takes one to know one." Kiyoko began eating her ramen again, choosing to ignore the glare that was shot her way. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the ramen bar curtain being pulled back.

"Oi Tuechi-San one order of miso ramen extra pork and no menma!!" The loud voice was recognizable by Kiyoko. Her eyes lit up and she couldn't turn herself out of the chair fast enough to greet him.

"Naruto!" A pink haired girl had hit him on the back of the head. "Have some manners!" She scolded. Before she could even turn to apologize for the loud intrusion, Kiyoko was up and out of her seat. It all happened so fast! Tanami had screeched trying to get out of the way, leaving Ayaka to try and get the demon off of the girl. 

Kiyoko was seeing red, something she rarely did unless Naruto was in trouble. It was a natural fight response she built up over the years of hostile treatment from civilians. While her brother tried not to fight the girls that picked on them both; she had no problem dishing out black eyes and busted lips. It didn't matter to her if it was a boy or girl, though Naruto preferred to fight the boys.

"ACK Kiyo-chan, wait that's my teammate!" Naruto helped Ayaka pry the girls from each other. He held on her waist, stumbling back onto the ground.

"Naru-Nii are you okay, that pink wench didn't give you a bump did she?" Kiyoko quickly began to look her brother over.

"Oi, you can't go attacking people like that!" With a gentle hand, he pushed her off, "and I'm fine dattebayo." Getting up to his feet he then helped up his teammate. She only had a red mark on her cheek, (which in his opinion was extremely lucky for her). "Are you okay Sakura-chan?"

Kiyoko looked at this Sakura, not offering a smile as realization washed over her. This was that girl her brother fancied, the girl who he described as the prettiest girl in his class. She could see why her brother would think that; pink hair wasn't common, it was the same shade as the flower for her namesake. Her green eyes were a richer and deeper shade than Tanami's eyes, almost like looking at emeralds. 

"I'm fine Naruto." She snatched away from him and glared at Kiyoko. "Hey what's your deal jumping me like that!" She pointed her finger at her.

"You did attack her brother first, Sakura." Tanami reached out and grabbed a hold to Kiyoko's shirt, a precaution. 

"She has a point." A different voice chimed in.

Kiyoko's eyes then drifted over to said voice and part of her froze. It had been a long while since she saw Sasuke. While none of them shared the same class, she often heard stories about how he was a part of the top three of their year. Those stories however were always overlooked, shadowed by comparisons to his brother (who was a distant memory in her mind. She often tried to wipe that particular family from her memories). He still had some of his baby fat in his face, but he was considerably taller and from what she could tell less shy. He wasn't the bashful kid she remembered, who was always blushing. The same sweet kid that hid her hair ribbons out of reach whenever Miko-san would brush and straighten her hair, during her early years. She hadn't seen him since the day Fugaku banned her from coming to the compound. 

Naruto pinched at his sister's cheeks pulling her from her thoughts, "You gotta say sorry."

She smacked his hand away, "Sorry for what she hit you."

"Yeah well-" he scratched at the back of his head, "you gotta say sorry or she won't wanna go out with me."

Kiyoko looked at her brother, he had those damn puppy dog eyes, "oh fine Naru-Nii." taking a deep breath she then looked back at Sakura. Gritting her teeth, "Sorry for tackling you."

Sakura crossed her arms, "Fine, didn't mean to upset you, but Naruto has a habit of being too much, he could have given Sasuke-kun a headache."

"There it is." Ayaka laughed, "all of that big bad bitch energy for some di-" Her mouth was quickly covered by Tanami's hand.

"We should get going, it's almost been an hour and I would not want to keep Itachi-sensei waiting." Tanami placed the money onto the counter, "thank you sir and sorry for the ruckus."

Teuchi laughed, he hadn't been paying much attention to the children. "It wouldn't be Ichiraku's without the commotion, I look forward to all types of shinobi that come by, they're always so lively. "

The girls bowed and made their way out, except for Kiyoko. She turned to Naruto with a grin "Naru-Nii I may be a little late getting home, I have to do laps."

"Laps?" He tilted his head to the side, "I thought you got there on time."

"Sensei is a real hard ass for being exactly on time apparently." A sweat drop formed on the side of her head. 

"Yokai bring your ass!" Ayaka shouted.

"Coming cannon fodder!" She then fist bumped her brother before running to catch up with her team.

-

Naruto laughed nervously as his sister sped off. He looked at his crush once more as she sat at the counter chatting away to Sasuke (who looked like he couldn't be bothered to listen). He perched himself onto the stool next to Sakura. "I'm so sorry about that Sakura-chan, I didn't know Kiyo would be here."

Sakura looked at him for a moment. 'She acts like a demon, just like my mother said' Inner Sakura screamed. On the outside though she kept a pleasant smile, "Well I'm glad it wasn't that serious, but it is kinda your fault Naruto."

Naruto's jaw dropped open, "My fault? How?" Incredible, it was his fault that she hit him and why she almost died by his sister's hand. Incredible indeed!

"You shouldn't have ran in here screaming like that. Right Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke only grunted, opting to keep his hands clasped in front of his chin. He was too busy trying to push down the rush of emotions from seeing the idiot's sister. For years one of his first friendships that he acknowledged had been taken from him. It was almost back within his reach on the first day of the academy, when he saw her enter the class alongside Naruto. It was short lived as the two wouldn't stop acting out. She had been moved to a different class to curve the issue. ( For the sake of the new teacher Iruka. Who simply wouldn't have been able to handle two knucklehead siblings, and keep his sanity). 

The most surprising thing though, was that his genius brother was assigned as her teacher now. He wasn't sure if he should pity her or envy her. On the one hand he was peeved. The most recent 'maybe next time' was Itachi leaving to train non-clan children, leaving him at the mercy of training with their father. On the other hand he knew that he would be able to get answers on what happened that fateful day so many years ago. Now was his chance to see her again, to ask what happened. To hear her side of the story and to finally know if he should hate her as much as the clan did.

He needed to know what happened on the day that she blinded his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Simply put, Itachi hasn't lived at home for a while. Not since the coup had been diverted by Minato, he also canonically speaking did spend a bit of time on missions when he was younger so I kept it here. My version of Itachi so far will more than likely show signs of PTSD. It just seems unrealistic and unreasonable that a child prodigy and child solider wouldn't grow up riddled with issues. 
> 
> Lastly next chapter will be a change of pace as we will be visiting Minato! I wonder what kinda domino effect will happen with him?
> 
> Thank you for reading till next time!
> 
> *In Japanese mythology, this flying creature is a raven or a jungle crow called Yatagarasu (八咫烏, "eight-span crow") and the appearance of the great bird is construed as evidence of the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs. ... Yatagarasu as a crow-god is a symbol specifically of guidance


	6. Hokage-Sama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a look at what Minato is up to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the following readers who book marked my work or left kudos.  
> A_Maria  
> Starkiller_2468  
> ValeryBr  
> uchiha_shisui  
> lokiwinners  
> SkyeStorm13  
> KelseyCake  
> Anonima3742  
> aimvena95  
> ...and the 11 guest who left Kudos and those have saved my little story in a private folder or website bookmark bar
> 
> I want to thank you. With everything going on the in the world right now it has been hard to write and find inspiration for it. But I always kept you in mind and that has kept me going to finish my story and everything that comes with it. I began writing this story as therapy and an outlet and for fun, so I can only hope that you all enjoy it. Thank you so much.
> 
> -DD7

_Chapter 4: Hokage-Sama._

Minato only had one goal in life, and that was to get through his tenure as Hokage in one piece. Sure he had other goals, like making sure his kids didn't burn his village to the ground, or making sure his councils didn't burn his village to the ground. Both of which were difficult in their own right, but he was glad that his children had grown out of the _'let's prank everything and everyone phase'_. He was sure that he would never be able to recover financially if another one of his kids' pranks destroyed more property. The council situation though, why that only grew more hostile as the years went on. Right now though, his goal was to survive being Hokage and the first step in that was to survive Danzo. He just had to get through another one of Danzo's ramblings about how he didn't trust the Uchiha. 

"I already took care of the Uchiha situation. Fugaku and I are working closely with monitoring those who have the potential to develop the ability to control the fox." Minato kept a blank face as he stared at the mummified man. 

Danzo sneered at him. The hatred in his one visible eye glared hard. "Namikaze...do you really think he would be truthful and forthcoming in the clan's dojutsu wielders?"

"I trust him to do the right thing, yes." The young man sighed. 

"Then you are a fool. I have my sources and they have confirmed that there are in fact four mangekyou sharingans in that clan." Danzo leaned back into his chair. The smug look on his face made Minato's blood boil.

The air in the room seemed to become hot and stiff. He knew about the four people that wielded the eyes. They came forward to him themselves with the intention to swear on their lives that they wouldn't endanger their village. His gaze then shifted over to Homura and Koharu, the two of them had stayed unreasonably quiet. Almost as if they were waiting for something to happen.

"Danzo...I will not entertain any type of attack on this clan. The three shinobi who have the mangekyou sharingan will be of no danger and furthermore...if I catch even a hint of you going against this order-"

"You'll what Namikaze?" Danzo kept a fierce glare to his face. It was probably not wise to be so harsh with the fastest man alive, but he himself was Danzo Shimura. The Second Hokage's student and the one who should have rightfully succeeded him. The problem was not that he didn't respect Hiruzen's boy. It was the fact that like his old teammate, he was too soft and trusting for the hat. It was a dangerous game to play, especially with the dreams and the hopes of the First and Second on the line. He loved this village and would die and kill for it, like any loyal shinobi would. That meant that any threat, from outside to inside, will be met with quick and decisive action. 

"You will be tried." Minato stated, his poker face remained unmoved. Blue eyes became ice cold and darker. "I have another meeting to attend Danzo. In the meantime, the four shinobi in question are to remain nameless."

"Why exactly can we not know?" Koharu asked. She leaned forward in her seat. "It would be wise so that way we can keep eyes on them."

"Well that's the thing." Minato closed his eyes, a smug grin slowly spread across his lips. "If anything happens to them...should they die under mysterious circumstances only three people in this village would know who they are."

Homura's jaw dropped at the revelation. The hokage didn't trust Danzo and he just made it clear. He said it without saying it to keep the peace. "Accountability Hokage-Sama?"

"More like insurance to make sure that no devious plans get hatched outside of this room." He kept his eyes closed. A headache was beginning to creep into the back part of his head. The room remained quiet; a heavy, tense, and angry tension hung in the air. It almost seemed suffocating but neither of the strong willed men backed down. Danzo's teeth could be heard gritting together, while Minato remained perfectly poised. 

Danzo shifted away from the desk, "Fine then." He left without another word, his teammates following suite.

 _'This particular battle was won too easily.'_ Minato let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Turning in his chair to gaze out of the window to the village, a small smile appeared on his face. He wouldn't let the peace that was this village be disturbed so readily. He would kill anyone to keep his forefathers' legacy safe. Even if it meant killing people within the village. 

"Hokage-Sama?" The door opened back up. Shikaku leaned against the doorway with a raised eyebrow. "I see that Danzo was here."

"You're late." Minato sighed.

"No. I was here on time, I just simply sat outside watching the clouds drift by." 

"You didn't want to deal with our dear old war hawk."

"Guilty as charged" Shikaku grinned, his smile then dropped from his face. "You're actually needed down at the T and I building."

Minato's brows raised in concern. It was rare that he was requested to visit T and I. Ibiki and Inoichi almost never requested his presence, opting to come to the tower instead. So this was already out of the ordinary. The two men had left in silence, Minato trying to think of why the request.

"To answer the question, I'm just as in the dark as you. Apparently there was someone who turned themselves into the shinobi at the south gate. They claim to be from water country." Shikaku sighed, "an absolute drag if you ask me."

Minato nodded his head once as they approached the T and I building. The guard let them in and led them to an observation room. The air around them seemed tense and cold. Ibiki stood there,normal scowl on his face, brows furrowed in distrust. He grunted out a low 'Hokage-Sama'. Minato just hummed and gave a polite smile.

"So care to explain what's going on?" Shikaku asked as he looked down into the empty observation chamber.

"The medic ninja are bringing her in now." Ibiki stated. Just then the bay doors opened and a rather strange looking woman entered. She was obviously swollen with pregnancy, tired and haggard. Her body language gave off that of a well seasoned shinobi, her black hair kept out of her face by a slashed out hitai-ate from the mist village. She was pale, covered in bruises, looking like at any given moment she would fall over dead. The woman kept her head high though, mouth in a hard straight line. She didn't bother to resist her restraints and looked rather relieved to be sat in the chair.

"She says that she came all the way here looking for refuge." Ibiki snorted. "It's a trap."

Minato seemed surprised by this. What pregnant woman would travel from one end of the map to another? Suddenly he saw the strange woman that pleaded to him all those years ago. He certainly hoped this wouldn't be a recurring theme.

"Has Inoichi looked at her yet?" Minato turned and looked at the department head.

"Not yet, I wanted to wait for you to get here." His reply was gruff. "But, he is on his way."

Shikaku sighed heavily, "Did she say why she came here? What exactly is she needing refuge from?"

Ibiki didn't say anything at first. He shifted in his stance, crossed and recessed his arms. The visible clench of his jaw, "war...she is a war refugee."

Minato was careful to not react so openly. This was the first he heard about war, as his spies and his master hadn't said anything to him. If Jaraiya didn't send him a toad or a message, maybe it was a civil war. The door to the observation room opened and in walked Inoichi and two of his clan members. 

As always in polite Inoichi fashion he sat down across the table from her and offered water. To which the woman quietly took and sipped at. "I'm quite surprised that you are so open to cooperation." He began.

"I have nothing to hide." She sat the cup down and let out a tired breath. "I am a month away from giving birth, I am widowed, and my village has shunned me and has tried to kill us both." She placed her hand onto her stomach, and smiled a bit. Just as quickly it was gone.

"You say that you are running from war...care to explain?" Inoichi leaned in closer to her.

The woman nodded her head, "I am running from war. Though not the kind that you think of. There is no war in the land of waves, but outside of it...outside of us." She took another breath and strummed her finger across her stomach. "You're part of that clan that can mind walk right? Why don't you look into my thoughts, there are no traps, there are no lies. I beg of your Hokage to let me live here, only until I have my child and can get to the north."

This had taken everyone back. Not many shinobi would allow someone to freely go into their thoughts. Minato hummed again, nodding his head for Inoichi and his team to proceed. "Ibiki, please take record of what is said, and also any villages she mentions, I want a special team to go and gather intel."

"Are you sure Hokage-Sama?" Ibiki closed his eyes. Why did he ask that? He wouldn't have ordered it if it wasn't needed.

"Shikaku, I would like for a message to get to Jaraiya-sama. Ask him to return home immediately. If there is talk of war, we shouldn't take it lightly." Minato then turned away from the window but not before hearing something strange from the woman.

"When you walk through my mind, please know that any demons you see are real." She was quiet and her voice almost broke.

* * *

Back in his office about four hours later, stacks of missions reviews, two new signed laws and a ramen cup later, Shikaku had returned. He held a file clasped firmly in his grip and just quietly sat it down. His eyes were more tired than usual. "Minato."

He only ever called him that when he was tired of thinking. He also only ever called him that when he was presented with nonsensical information and was too tired to process it.

"Hm?" He looked up at his advisor in the setting light from the sun.

"Read the report from front to back and then read it again. Inoichi and his clansmen all saw the same thing."

Reaching out, Minato took the report and his eyes went to the top of the first page.

* * *

_Name: Kairy_

_Age: 23_

_Affiliation: Kirigakure (former), Taki no Mura*(former)_

_Account of Inoichi: Upon the request of Kairy I entered her mind to validate her claims. She is indeed honest when she says that some demonic entity had gotten her pregnant . She is running and seeking refuge from Kirigakure after they found out that she is pregnant with a spawn. Wanting to take her and her child for an experiment. The village she hails from originally is Taki no Mura but is it currently inaccessible due to the attacks that frequent them by these large tailless creatures and beasts. Their size and strength rivals that of a jinchuriki. Most of these odd creatures have gills, horns, strangely colored blue skin and are able to summon swaths of energy for devastating attacks. There is something going on in Water country and Kirigakure. My suggestion is that we proceed with extreme caution in gathering intel and being sure that we protect the Land of Fire._

* * *

Minato read it once, then a second and third time. He read Inoichi's assistants recount and word for word, sentence for sentence; all three of them were the same. He wanted to wait for his shisou to get here first. Then he would talk with him and Lord Third privately. Getting into the mix of other country's affairs was always risky. However if Kirigakure had something powerful in hiding, he and the other Kage needed to know. The chances of war because of this were too high. 

The door to the office swung open and standing there was a tired and panting jounin. "Hokage-Sama Hokage Rock has been defaced again and all of the downtown mainstreet is covered in cats!" 

Minato just sighed. For now he would handle his children, who were no doubt behind this mess. The _'let's prank everything and everyone phase'_ wasn't over. It was just on hold while they adjusted to their new training schedule. His kids had been genin for about three weeks now.

"Bring them to me." He sighed pressing the bridge of his nose. The poor jounin ran off to go round up his sunshine and sunflower. The only comfort Shikaku offered was.

"Troublesome."

"Hey we all can't have a lazy genius you know." He shook his head.

"Don't worry, my boy is just as troublesome."

The two fathers then laughed.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taki no Mura: Village in the Waterfall
> 
> So here we go, little bit of plot is coming in! Can not wait for you all to formerly meet Kairy! Side note, it has been almost a month since Kiyo made genin. Next chapter we will be back with her. For now what do you think Minato, Jaraiya, and Hiruzen will decide and talk about? Will Minato allow Kairy to seek sanctuary in his village? Is Danzo giving you all bad vibes? 
> 
> Also side side note: only Minato's closest aides and selected Anbu know that Naruto and Kiyoko are his children. I just want to clarify this and that Minato uses a seal to hide his features when he wants to go out with his kids (whenever he gets the time ofcourse).


End file.
